PM Modi met governors of 16 provinces of Japan, appealed to increase cooperation:

News Topical, Digital Desk : Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday met governors of Japan's 16 prefectures in Tokyo and called for further enhancing cooperation under the India-Japan special strategic and global partnership.

The Prime Minister said in a post on Twitter- “This morning in Tokyo, I interacted with the Governors of 16 prefectures of Japan. State-prefecture cooperation is an important pillar of India-Japan friendship. This is why a separate initiative on this was launched during the 15th Annual India-Japan Summit yesterday.”

He further wrote- "There is immense potential for cooperation in areas like trade, innovation, entrepreneurship. Future-oriented areas like startups, technology and artificial intelligence can also be beneficial.

Sharing details of the talks on X, the Ministry of External Affairs said, "Major steps are being taken for concrete progress in India-Japan relations."

In his address, Modi said India-Japan relations are flourishing, drawing energy from ancient civilisational ties. He said the time has come to give a new impetus to state-prefecture engagement, moving beyond the traditional focus on Tokyo and Delhi.

He also pointed out that the State-Prefecture Partnership Initiative will promote cooperation in trade, technology, tourism, skills, security and cultural exchange. The Prime Minister called upon Japanese Governors and Indian State Governments to forge stronger collaboration in manufacturing, mobility, next-generation infrastructure, innovation, startups and small businesses.

The PM called on Japanese Governors and Indian state governments to forge stronger collaboration in manufacturing, mobility, next-generation infrastructure, innovation, startups and small businesses. The Governors noted that subnational collaboration is key to taking bilateral trade, academic, cultural and people-to-people ties to the next level.

Modi visits semiconductor plant in Sendai

Modi visited a semiconductor plant in Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture, Japan on Saturday. During this, Modi was accompanied by his Japanese counterpart Shigeru Ishiba. The Prime Ministers of both the countries traveled from Tokyo to Sendai by bullet train.

The Ministry of External Affairs said Modi's visit to Sendai-based Tokyo Electron Miyagi Limited (TEL Miyagi) highlighted the complementarity between India's growing semiconductor manufacturing ecosystem and Japan's strength in the sector.

TEL Miyagi, a leading Japanese semiconductor company, is working on plans for collaboration with India. Modi was briefed on TEL's role in the global semiconductor supply chain, its advanced manufacturing capabilities, and its ongoing and planned collaboration with India.

Modi gifted Ishiba a bowl studded with precious stones and silver chopsticks

PM Modi gifted a ramen bowl set made of precious stones and silver chopsticks to Japanese PM Ishiba. He gifted a pashmina shawl to the Japanese PM's wife. This bowl set made of ancient precious stones and silver chopsticks is a wonderful blend of Indian art and Japanese culinary tradition.